Bishop’s Dinner is back, seven to be honored

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After a year’s hiatus to make room for the festivities surrounding Bishop Gerald Barnes’ 25 Episcopal Anniversary, the Annual Bishop’s Dinner will return to the Diocese on Saturday, April 7.

The gathering will be held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa. It serves as a signature community building event that calls together parishioners, leaders and supporters of the Diocese for an evening of fun and fellowship.

Proceeds from the Bishop’s Dinner will be directed to the Diocesan Seminarian Program. The Diocese currently has 35 seminarians in formation for the priesthood. Living and education costs for those who reach the stage of seminary theological studies are more than $43,000 a year, making financial support of this program imperative.

The Bishop’s Dinner will serve as one of several occasions throughout 2018 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Diocese.

Bishop Barnes utilizes the Bishop’s Dinner to publicly bestow his Amar Es Entregarse Award to those who have exemplified his Episcopal Motto, “Love is the total giving of one’s self.” This year’s honorees have been announced. They are:

• Deacon F. Michael Jelley—Vice Chancellor of the Diocese and Director of the Department of Ecclesial Services.

• Patricia Vesely—Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese

• Peter Bradley—Archivist of the Diocese and a long-time minister in many leadership positions

• Belinda Marquez—Riverside County Director of Family and Community Services for Catholic Charities San Bernardino and Riverside.

• Sister Carol Nolan, Sister of Providence, St. Mary of the Woods—Longtime minister to the underserved in the Eastern Coachella Valley.

• Sister Loretta Picucci, Sister of Providence, St. Mary of the Woods—Longtime minister to the underserved in the Eastern Coachella Valley.

• The Diocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection under the direction of Sister Cathy White, Sister of Providence, St. Mary of the Woods.

This will mark the 18th year of the Bishop’s Dinner. The event is open to all and invitations to past attendees will be sent out in February. The cost is $250 per ticket, $2,500 per table. For more information or to make a donation contact Dinner Coordinator Liliana Mendez-Chavez at (909) 475-5117 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..